The Transformation Of Adam Sandler's Daughters, Sadie And Sunny

It was hard not to witness the success of Adam Sandler in the '90s. From first being seen on the now-controversial sitcom, "The Cosby Show," and "Saturday Night Live," Adam went on to sustain a prominent acting career that saw him star in classics such as "Happy Gilmore," "The Waterboy," and "Big Daddy." Alongside his status in Hollywood, Adam also has a reputation for being a devoted father. This shows, as throughout the late 2000s, it was impossible to see Adam without his two daughters, Sadie and Sunny Sandler, by his side.

With two parents in the entertainment industry, it was only expected for Sadie and Sunny to be thrusted into the limelight. Luckily, this worked to their benefit, as they kept a level of privacy that most children of celebrities can only dream of. Ironically enough, it seems the limelight doesn't bother them too much. Aside from their notable relationship with their father, Sadie and Sunny have spent much of their time giving the public positive things to talk about, such as their own acting careers, singing talents, and much more. With all this in mind, it is clear that they're much different from the babies we once knew. Now 18 and 16 years old, respectively, Sadie and Sunny's growth has been beautiful to witness. To learn more about their incredible life, here is the transformation of Adam Sandler's daughters, Sadie and Sunny!

On May 6, 2006, Adam Sandler and his wife, Jackie Sandler, introduced Sadie Sandler to the world. Following her birth, Adam only spoke fondly of her. This, however, didn't stop the comedian from making wisecracks about fatherhood. While poking fun at his initial nervousness about becoming a father, Adam also spoke about his heavy influence on Sadie when she was only 1 year old.

During a 2007 appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," Adam spoke about his home life with Sadie and how much love she appears to have for him (via People). "We're very tight with this child — everything we do is about the kid, and the kid now all of a sudden worships me ... It's like anything I do, the kid wants to do," he said. Adam noted that this adoration found itself in all aspects of their lives. Though Sadie used to hate eating broccoli and wearing helmets, she didn't hesitate to do those things if her father did them. Luckily, she seemingly only mimicked her father's positive habits. This anecdote prompted Adam to predict the trajectory of this habit well into her pre-teen years. "I'm just hoping when she's 13, she's okay with using a tampon," he quipped. "I'll do what I have to do for her." 

By the age of 2, Sadie Sandler was already leading a lavish life. However, her time as an only child ceased to exist once Jackie Sandler got pregnant. With the news of a younger sibling, Sadie was seemingly excited about this new addition to the family.  She was so excited, in fact, that she was the one to break the news to her father.

Before Sunny Sandler's birth on November 2, 2008, Sadie was the first to learn about the pregnancy. While Jackie was thinking of ways to break the news to her husband, Adam Sandler, she got a 2-year-old Sadie to do it for her. During his 2008 appearance on "Live! with Regis and Kelly," Adam spoke about Sadie's heartfelt gesture (via People). "She did it so cute. And we had no idea this was going to happen," he recalled. "I came home at night and [Jackie] kept saying, 'Sadie wants to give you a present.' ... And then Sadie hands me a little something, like a gift. And I was like, 'Aw, that's nice Sadie, thank you.' And then Jackie kept saying 'Open it up, open it up.' And I open it up and it was one of those pregnancy [tests], and I was like 'Wow.'"

Throughout his career, Adam Sandler garnered a reputation for working with those close to him. This included casting loved ones, such as his wife Jackie Sandler, who is in more of his movies than you thought. In Sadie and Sunny Sandler's case, this happened shortly after their birth. At 2, Sadie was the first to make her acting debut in "You Don't Mess with the Zohan" in 2008. In an interview with Indie London, Adam spoke fondly of her first time acting, suggesting that despite being a toddler, she had a good experience making a short-lived cameo in the movie. "She's so cute, she grew up on a movie set visiting me every day, or as much as she could," he explained. "She's just happy, it's like a camp for her because everyone's so nice to her and treat her nice."

In 2010, Sunny had the opportunity to make her acting debut in "Grown Ups." This time around, Sunny got to act alongside her sister and her mother. Small appearances from his daughters became a regular trope for the two; after their debut, they'd go on to appear in other films like the "Grown Ups" sequel, "Grown Ups 2," and "Jack and Jill."

Like most siblings, Sadie and Sunny Sandler had their fair share of disputes growing up. After Sunny's birth, Adam Sandler suggested that he had his hands full as Sadie didn't immediately take to her little sister early on. During his 2008 appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," Adam teased that his family life wasn't the greatest since they came home with Sunny (via People). "I'll find her staring at Sunny, going, 'We had it perfect? Why? Why'd you do this to me?'" he quipped. "I said, 'I thought you wanted to have someone to play with.' And she's like, 'She's just kind of laying there, Dad, doing nothing. Like ... how is that playing?' I tell her, 'It will happen.'"

During his 2014 appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," Adam seemingly confirmed that this dynamic between Sadie and Sunny continued as they grew up. Though he reassured the audience that the two actually love each other, he noted that Sadie and Sunny aren't strangers to some sibling rivalry once in a while. "I think Sadie is at school all day with kids her age and has the give and take of being cool and all of a sudden not being cool. ... And at home, when she comes home, she's just like, 'I'm gonna be better than this little kid,' you know, better than Sunny. It makes her feel good, so she'll beat her up," he said.

Over the years, Adam Sandler has made it known that Sadie and Sunny Sandler have had interests in various forms of entertainment. Aside from having an early interest in Adam's feminine appearance in "Jack and Jill" to binging "Modern Family," it is common knowledge that Sadie and Sunny have been devoted fans of Taylor Swift. Given their father's musical prowess with a guitar, covering various songs by Taylor Swift has been a recurring hobby in their pastime. 

In 2019, both Sadie and Sunny showed their singing talents to the public during their father's performance at the Rock4EB! Charity event. While Sunny, who appears to be passionate about singing, joined her father on stage to sing "A Million Dreams" from "The Greatest Showman" during one of his comedy shows earlier that year, Sadie joined along to cover Taylor Swift's song, "Lover," this time around. With celebrities such as Julia Roberts and Elizabeth Olsen in the audience, both Sadie and Sunny impressed the audience as their father watched along, playing the guitar. After they finished their performance, Adam ended the segment with a heartfelt compliment to his daughters (via People). "Thank you for being so nice to them. ... Girls, you did great!" he said. "Sounded awesome — confident and cool. I love you, now get out of here."

From their early introduction to acting, Sadie and Sunny Sandler had a positive relationship with chasing their passions. While most parents urge their children to stray away from certain professions, Adam Sandler seemingly encourages his daughter to take on any dream they have. One of those dreams happened to be music. During his interview with Us Weekly, he suggested that their interest in the art form grew the more they'd see their father get on stage. "They like to sing ... and they see Daddy up there and they're like, 'Can I try that?' he said. "So I say, 'Get on up there.' Whatever they're excited about in their lives, I'll back them up."

They'd even get their father's support in their acting careers as well. Over the years, Sadie and Sunny continued to book roles with and without their father. In a 2023 interview with People, Adam suggested that their trajectory was starting to take a more serious turn. Being the supportive father he is, Adam shared wise advice with Sadie and Sunny about their growing careers. "I tell them to make sure you feel good about what you do and how hard you worked, and judge yourself," he explained to People (via Fox News). "Don't let too many people try to get in your head. If you feel like you gave it your all, that's all you can ask."

While finding her place in the entertainment industry, Sunny Sandler booked a role in the Audible podcast series "Letters from Camp" in 2020. Through portraying Mookie Hooper, Sunny had the opportunity to be a part of a project with notable names like former "Harry Potter" actor Daniel Radcliffe and "Freaky Friday" alum Jamie Lee Curtis. The series itself was a coming-of-age mystery that explored various aspects of growing up. 

In an Audible segment promoting the series, Curtis wrote letters to Sandler and her co-star, Jacob Tremblay, sharing youthful advice she wished she had heard during those formative tween years. Some of these included conquering fears, maintaining a positive self-perception, and making mistakes, which prompted Sandler to open up about how it related to her personal life. With her maturity at the forefront of the entire segment, Jamie reinforced this when she gave the kids advice on navigating Hollywood. Through this, she praised Sandler for getting this role without the help of her father's notoriety. "It's funny because the reason Sunny Sandler is in this show has nothing to do with Adam," she explained. "She auditioned, and I'm telling you — I have goosebumps. I have hairs all up my arm — she was like right away, 'Oh yeah! This is Mookie.'"

With over three decades in the acting industry, Adam Sandler's career was recognized at the 32nd annual Gotham Awards when he won the performer tribute award. In preparation for the night, however, Adam didn't want to write a speech. To prevent their father from winging it, Sadie and Sunny Sandler took it upon themselves to write an acceptance speech for him. 

During the event, he opened up his acceptance speech by exposing this specific anecdote. "I told my daughters Sadie and Sunny, who are 16 and 14, I didn't write a speech, and they said phrases like 'rude' and 'you're mean,'" he explained (via YouTube). "I said, 'Well, Daddy's f***ing tired.' ... and they were like, 'Can we write your speech, Daddy? So, you got something to say?'" In a Southern accent, Adam proceeded to read a speech that not only celebrated his career but had a lovable balance of admiration and wit that made Adam smile from ear to ear, whether it be teasing the "fake mini-Oscars" he purchased himself or the "hamburger grease-covered flesh waves of his triple chin." Though they'd thank the Gotham Awards for recognizing their father, they ended the speech by jokingly praising their mother, Jackie Sandler, for "putting up with Daddy and his crazy f***ing mood swings all these years."

As the daughters of Adam Sandler, one would assume that both Sadie and Sunny Sandler have several connections to the entertainment industry. While they do, they're certainly not ones who take advantage of their status for their own gain. Unless, of course, it's for certain coming-of-age parties, celebrating their transition as teenagers. 

Adam seemingly went all out for both Sadie and Sunny's bat mitzvahs. For Sadie's in 2019, not only did Adam get longtime friend Jennifer Aniston to give her a present, but he also got Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine to perform at the event. During his appearance on "The Howard Stern Show" that same year, Levine described the event as a Billy Madison-esque "rager party." The same attention to detail went into Sunny's bat mitzvah in 2022, as stars like Charlie Puth, Taylor Lautner, and Peyton List attended. Most notable, however, was Halsey, who — along with Puth — performed at the event. After attending the batz mitzvah, she appeared on "The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon" and spoke about her time there. "It was awesome," she gushed. "First of all, it was the craziest bat mitzvah I've ever seen in my life. As you would expect from Adam Sandler. ...I mean, it was like Coachella. I couldn't believe it."

Since their birth, both Sadie and Sunny Sandler had the privilege of starring alongside their father in countless projects such as "That's My Boy," "The Do-Over," and more. Although they found acting success on their own, the two faced their fair share of criticism due to their status as Adam Sandler's daughters. This seemingly came to a head when they appeared in "You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah."

It was yet another family affair, as everyone — including their mother, Jackie Sandler — had a hand in the film. Its release in 2023 sparked conversations about their privilege, prompting director Sammi Cohen to speak to The Hollywood Reporter about the "nepo-baby" stigma surrounding Sadie and Sunny. In doing so, Sammi blasted the double standard between Adam filming several films with his friends in the industry versus his daughters. "Sandler has a reputation for making movies with his friends, and that's something we all want to do," she said. "What I say is, he's still making movies with his friends, but they're his kids. He is the kind of dad who's also your best friend. When it comes to the sort of chatter we're hearing online, I don't really think twice about it because I'm going like, 'Yeah, he's doing the same thing he's always done.'"

As mentioned earlier, Adam Sandler noted Sadie Sandler's habit of following whatever he did. A lot of the actions she allegedly mimicked were purposeful tactics to implement good habits, such as wearing a helmet and eating broccoli. Fast forward to 2024, and it appears that the roles were reversed for not only Sadie but Sunny Sandler as well. As they grew up, both Sadie and Sunny became vocal about their desire for their father to make healthier lifestyle choices.

This wasn't always the case, as Adam seemingly led a healthier lifestyle when he was younger. Of course, with a never-ending career alongside growing kids and a wife, Adam noted on several occasions just how hard being in shape is at 58 years old. According to his interview with People, Sadie and Sunny were trying to change that. "They always look out for me and my health just like I used to with my dad," he told the publication. "You go, 'Man, I want this guy around,' so I used to scream at my dad to quit smoking, and my kids scream at me to just calm down and try to eat a little more like a normal person."

From making their film debut as toddlers, Sadie and Sunny Sandler continued to appear in projects alongside their father. While many of these were adult comedies, Adam Sandler's newfound fatherhood prompted him to take more roles dedicated to kids. Of course, Sadie and Sunny followed him through this venture, earning voice credits in "Hotel Transylvania" in 2012. Their next inclusion in an animated film came just a few years after their first one, for the film's sequel.

In 2023, Netflix released the animated musical film "Leo," which followed a 74-year-old lizard in limbo between remaining a class pet for a 5th-grade class or escaping to explore a world he had never seen before. The importance of family remained present throughout its entire runtime. With his children involved, it seemed to serve as an outlook on the impact of parental guidance in young children's lives. During an interview with King 5 Evening, host Kim Holcolm asked Adam if the film was a love letter to his children. "Oh, 100%," he responded. "When they were little — just like 'Hotel Transylvania' — I wanted to make movies they could watch and have a good time, and now they're older but ... they still had to have a good time watching it, and that means a lot."